1. Technical Area
This invention relates to a composition comprising a local anesthetic agent in combination with a detectable marker. In particular, the invention concerns a composition for topical application to a subject and the presence of the anesthetic agent on the subject is indicated by the detectable marker.
2. Description of the Background
Local anesthetics used in animal husbandry procedures are usually in the form of injectable compositions. Injectable compositions have disadvantages in that they cause pain to the animal during administration and pose risks to the animal due to inadvertent injury or toxicity if incorrectly applied. They can be difficult or dangerous to administer. They can increase animal stress by prolonging handling times. They can increase the risk of injury to the handler due to needle stick or prolonged handling times. In addition, they are single use and are not convenient for administration to a large number of animals at the one time. They may require administration by a veterinarian, and it may be difficult to determine whether administration has been carried out correctly. It is for these reasons that most husbandry procedures (e.g. mulesing, shearing, castration, tail docking, ear tagging, de-horning, branding and marking) are performed without anesthesia
It is an object of the present invention to provide a topical anesthetic composition, or a method of administering a topical anesthetic composition, which minimizes or ameliorates at least one of the disadvantages referred to above, or to provide the public with a useful or commercial choice.